Sony Diaries #1034: John

Sometimes, most times, and I wish it happens all the time, I get the image(s) that I feel reflects the person in front of the camera. My knowledge of my subjects varies in depth. Unlike most of my subjects for whom the portrait session is the first time I see them, I have known John, on and off, for 25 years at work. The few people I can honestly say that I know very well are my immediate family members.

My thoughts on John: An intelligent, empathetic, free spirit who has kept it all together through fatherhood and heightened work responsibilities. As with all my subjects, I encouraged them to come up with ideas. As an insightful photographer himself, John had ideas on how he wished to be portrayed.

Sony Diaries #1033: What's in my (lighting) bag?

Taking portrait photos is about capturing photons and I'm not ready to cede control of my lighting to the availability of natural or existing light at any photo location. At the same time, I realize that taking full control of lighting requires a closet-full of lighting gear. So I have to strike a balance: augment the existing light with my light, or vice-versa. Regardless of the ratio of existing to added, the added light should not call attention to itself.

In a previous blog post, I detailed my set-up for a group portrait. The setup here is for portraits of from 1-5 people.

The heart of this package is the Westcott Rapid Box Octa-S, and a Godox TT685S with a Godox X1T Transmitter. The two clips are for securing the reflectors to the light stands. And then there are the batteries.

In portraiture, a black reflector reduces or blocks out unwanted light, both quantitatively and qualitatively, falling on your subject, helping to accentuate the contours of the face and body. A white reflector does the opposite, "throwing" light into an area. The Neewer kit is a 5-in-1, with black, white, silver (more specular light effect), gold (adds warmth), and a diffusing material (for diffusing harsh light sources such as the direct sun).